The Things That Define Us
by JaneQuotes
Summary: To define the new girl in class 2-A at Ouran would be difficult. She doesn't talk about herself much, and her sharp tongue and tough exterior keeps others at arms length. Of course, she has the King of the Host Club in her class, and life will never be the same after getting involved with him and his friends. A romance full of the moments that define who we are, who we become.
1. 1 - The New Girl

**_Hallow dear reader! Thank you for choosing_** **The Things That Define Us** _ **to read! I really hope you enjoy it! Many thanks to my beta Madin456!**_ _  
_ _ **Few notes:**_ _  
~I am from USA, and have never been to Japan, so 99% of my knowledge comes from anime and manga. If I get something wrong, let me know! Chances are it's not super important to the story, and I can rewrite with the correct info!  
~For now, the story is set in the timeline of the anime (vol. 1-8), but will eventually move into the timeline after the manga (vol 18). This will contain spoilers for the manga. I will post a warning when it finally comes to this point, and unless you don't care, I will suggest reading the manga.  
~Names are written in the Western fashion: [first name] [family name], unlike the Eastern: [family name] [first name]. This is simply because it will reduce my stress, and it will be less likely that I'll mess up names.  
~I am in college, and will not always have the time to update the story. Please be understanding! Encouraging me to continue is a great motivator, bashing me is not.  
_ ** _Again, thanks, and enjoy!_**

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A girl with her hair pulled into a simple ponytail, so black it almost seemed to darken the light around it, stared up at the "2-A" sign that hung above the classroom door. She sighed, a book tucked in one arm, a bag hanging on the other, and walked in. She was the first to arrive.

 _Good_ , she thought. This way the stares would happen when she was sitting down, reading, and she could easily ignore them.

She found a seat in the back, and hoped that it wasn't anyone else's. Truth be told, she was supposed to have gone to one of the offices, so she could meet her class representatives, but she really couldn't be bothered. She would end up meeting them soon enough, and there wasn't much they could really do to punish her.

 _Ouran Elite Private Academy_ , the girl thought to herself. It was the first day of the fall term, and summer had just ended. Again she sighed. It would do no good thinking about where she now found herself. So she picked up her book, worn from use, and flipped to a page in the middle and began to read.

It was not long before someone walked in. She only spared him a glance (male, tall, glasses, black hair) before falling back into her book.

* * *

Kyoya Ootori walked into the 2-A classroom, wanting to drop his belongings off before heading to meet the new student who was arriving that morning. To his surprise and mild amusement, the new student appeared to already have arrived. She flicked her eyes up at the sound of his footsteps, gave him a once over, and then returned to her book.

Kyoya walked over to her, and put on his Hostly smile. "Hello. You must be the new student. I'm Kyoya Ootori." She again only flicked her eyes before letting them fall onto her book. She must be shy, Kyoya decided. He noticed that her book was in English, and it seemed to be in verse, although he couldn't tell exactly what from. "Is that Shakespeare?" he asked, trying to gain common ground.

This seemed to grab the girl's attention, because she sighed before closing the book, hand over the cover. She turned to face him, and Kyoya was somewhat startled to see bright, blue eyes stare back at him.

"Why?" she asked, giving him a look of disdain. "Are you gonna regale me with some fascinating fact about Shakespeare that only you somehow know, showing off your vastly superior knowledge, expecting me to _ooh_ and _ahh_ at your every word because you decided to grace me with them." Her tone was highly sarcastic and biting. She glared at him for a few seconds letting her words sink in before turning back to her book. She didn't look up a few seconds later when she said, "Oh, and I know that he was gay… allegedly."

Kyoya was at a loss for words. It only happened once in a great while, and could be counted on one hand. This girl was not at all like the others who usually attended Ouran. She did not care to watch her words, and seemed to lack the refined grace of the others.

A ghost of a smile played on Kyoya's lips. It was going to be quite a show when Tamaki arrived.

* * *

The girl sat reading her book while other students trickled in, staring and whispering among themselves, no doubt about her. The boy who walked in first, Kyoya Ootori, had sat down a couple seats to her left. He didn't say anything else to her, and ignored her, which was absolutely perfect.

However, her peace was quickly shattered when another boy, a blond mop of hair and purple eyes, walked in. When he spotted her, he quickly made his way over to her. "You must be the new student!" he exclaimed. "I'm Tamaki Suoh! And who you would be, princess?" The girl ignored him, flipping a page in her book. Tamaki, not one to be deterred, took one of her hands, and smiled in his usual dazzling way. "You have such lovely hair, princess, like a raven's feather."

The girl sighed. A habit, it seemed. "You're not one to give up, are you?" she asked, seemingly to herself. "Fine." She turned to face him, closing her book with a sounding _clap_. A few of the students in the room quieted to listen. "First, hands off." Tamaki blinked once before letting her hand fall onto her lap. By now, the rest of the students were all paying attention "Second, half-baked compliments about appearances are demeaning and rude. " With this comment, Tamaki's smile faltered, if only for a moment. "And third, do not expect me to put on a cutesy voice like the rest of the half-wits here, and act like I don't know how the world works." She gave him an obviously fake smile, and turned away from him. She opened her book once again and began to read.

* * *

Tamaki stood there frozen, shocked beyond reason. "Tamaki," Kyoya called. This seemed to pull his friend from his stupor, as Tamaki then rushed to Kyoya. Just as he was about to ask Kyoya about the girl, the teacher walked in.

The students still standing took their seats, and as he usually did, Tamaki took the spot to the right of Kyoya, which also happened to be to the left of the girl.

"Today, we have a new student joining us," the teacher stated once the class had settled down. "She has spent the last few years abroad. Would you please come up here to introduce yourself?"

The girl, who had still been reading her book, looked up, had the common sense to not sigh, stood, and walked to the front of the classroom. She faced the class, and plastered on an extremely obvious fake smile. "Salutations, _friends_. My name is Titania Kuroki. Please take care of me." Her tone was highly sarcastic. She gave an overly dramatic bow before walking back to her seat. The teacher didn't seem to know what to do after, as he stuttered a bit before continuing on with the day's lesson.

Kyoya glanced at Tamaki. Tamaki's eyes were wide, and his face slack. Even Haruhi was not so brazen like this new girl was.

 _Kuroki_ , Kyoya mused to himself. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn't place it. Odd, for him. He would need to look the name up later, after school.

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 ** _Thank you again for reading this story! I really hoped you enjoyed it, and will continue to read it as more chapters are released!_** _ **  
Constructive criticism and love is always appreciated!**_


	2. 2 - What She Lacks

_**Greetings, and many thanks for reading! Seeing the view counter go up and getting emails about new follows and favorites has been amazing. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter too!**  
 **This one is a bit shorter, but there are interesting plot twists! (At least in my opinion.)**  
~I forgot to mention last time, but time period: there was never a set time in the books/anime, but for some reason I always envisioned it to be 2008. For the sake of my sanity, and pop culture references, the year is 2016. The only difference will be technology, and a few modern references :)  
 **Again, many thanks to my beta,**_ ** _Madin456!_**

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The Host Club was only having a meeting that day, and it was a good thing too, as Tamaki was currently sulking in a corner.

Haruhi Fujioka was watching him from the table, as were the rest of the members of the club, except Kyoya, who was typing away on his laptop. "What's gotten into him?" she asked.

"No idea," the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, replied in unison.

"He's been like that this whole time," Mitsukuni Haninozuka, mainly known as Honey, inserted. His companion, Takashi Morinozuka, mainly known as Mori, stayed silent, but nodded in agreement.

"I believe it has something to do with the new girl in our class," Kyoya said without looking up. "She said some rather harsh things to our dear president."

"What do you mean by harsh things, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"I believe the phrase she used was 'half-baked compliments'," Kyoya replied. "Among other things."

The twins barked out a laugh. "So Tono is heartbroken because a girl didn't like the compliment he gave her?"

"It would appear so." Kyoya furrowed his brows at what he was reading on his computer screen.

"What is it, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked.

"The girl," he replied. "Her father was Haruki Kuroki."

"Kuroki?" Haruhi repeated. "I've heard that name before."

"The Kuroki's own the largest natural mineral business in Japan, part of that being jewelry. They operate a chain of stores that sell jewelry: Kuroki's Jewels."

"Wasn't that the guy that was killed in a robbery gone wrong several years ago?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes, although there was suspicion that it was an inside job, do to the fact that the man got so far into the mansion without detection."

"So her mom has been running the company since then?" Haruhi inquired.

"No, her mother died from an illness about 3 years prior to her husband's death. The company is run by Kuroki's second wife, and her second husband."

What Kyoya didn't tell them was that the girl had been in a mental institution in Canada for the last 8 years. It would explain her bitterness and sharp tongue. But the reason why was sealed by the family. It must have been something quite serious if she had been kept there for so long. The question was: why bring her out now?

Eventually, Tamaki perked up (Haruhi gave him a slice of cake. "You do love your daddy!"). The meeting went on as usual, and soon everyone went home for the day.

* * *

Kyoya was walking out to meet his car when he heard the sound of a horse's hooves on pavement nearby. He looked towards the sound and saw Titania Kuroki not too far off atop a black horse with the lower part of its legs feathered white. It was a rather large horse, seeming to dwarf her.

 _Strange_ , Kyoya thought. Why ride a horse when someone else could easily drive you anywhere you wish to go?

She leaned forward to rub the neck of the beast, and whispered something in its ear. She pulled on the reins, and was then headed in his direction. She stopped the horse about a yard off when she finally noticed Kyoya in her way.

"Great, it's you," she remarked dryly. She narrowed her eyes. "You a spy?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. A spy? For whom? And why would such a question even come to her mind?

"Guess that's a no," she sighed. She hopped off of the horse, and Kyoya then noticed that she had changed into a faded blue shirt, jeans, and riding boots, all worn from use. She was also nearly a foot shorter than her horse, making her seem small, though with the horse 6 inches taller than him, it also made him feel quite small. Titania strode over to him, and despite being 5 inches shorter, somehow looked down at him. "I would like to apologize for how I spoke to you and your friend earlier. I was…" she paused, seeming to consider her words. "...upset…" she finally settled on, "about being moved to a new school, and I took it out on you. And for that, I am sorry. And for the spy thing. One can never be too careful about enemies, can they?" She extended a hand out to him.

That ghost of a smile played on Kyoya's lips again. She really was quite the interesting person. "Yes, of course," he replied, taking her hand.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but then shrugged and and walked back to her horse. She grabbed the edges of the saddle and placed her foot into the stirrup, which put her knee up to her chest. "Need a hand?" Kyoya called, knowing full well that she would not accept.

She snorted before pushing off of the ground with her other foot, switched her handhold to the horn of the saddle, and used the momentum to swing into place. "Thanks, but I got it," she said, grabbing the reins. She clicked her tongue, and tapped the horse with her heels. "Come on Oberon. Ha!" The horse, Oberon, reared. Kyoya took a couple steps back from the horse. Titania managed to stay on the horse, and laughed when the beast landed. "I know, you like to show off! But home's got food! Let's go!" Oberon then took off at a canter towards the school gate, Titania laughing the whole while.

Kyoya watched in silence as they disappeared from sight, then let out a bark of laughter. The horse was named _Oberon_? The irony of their names was quite hysterical, and they made a striking duo. This was going to be an intriguing semester.

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 ** _So there you have it! Interesting, no? I hope you enjoyed!  
Constructive criticism and love is, of course, appreciated! _**


	3. 3 - Interaction of the Forced Kind

_**Oh, how glad I am that you decided to read this chapter! Thank you so much!**  
 **The comments I received this last week were so amazing, and that's why I keep writing. I appreciate everyone that took the time to write one, even in other languages :D THANK YOU!**_ ** _  
_** ** _This chapter is a bit shorter, sorry about that, but chapter 4 is the longest one yet! Hooray!_**

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The next week passed in relative peace, with Titania Kuroki ignoring everyone, and everyone ignoring Titania. However, trouble finally came when the English teacher assigned a group project.

"Please find two other people to work together with, and pick one of the topics on the sheet I just handed you. This will be due in two weeks, so work hard together to finish this." He continued to talk about what was required, and then let the students free to pick partners.

Tamaki Suoh turned to Kyoya Ootori. "We should work with Titania-san!" Tamaki said excitedly to his friend. Kyoya glanced over at the girl. She was looking down at the list of topics, lips pursed. It seemed she was not interested in finding partners to work with. Kyoya smiled, then turned back to Tamaki. "That's a good idea. Let's go ask." Tamaki grinned, and walked over to her.

Kyoya watched silently as his friend tried to talk to Titania, then stood after a few seconds and walked over to join the conversation. "...so why don't you work with us, Titania-san?" Tamaki had made sure to use honorifics with her ever since their first encounter.

She gave him a confused look. "I believe the teacher told us we could work by ourselves if we wanted to," she replied, sounding just as confused as she looked. Kyoya smiled inwardly. So this was how she was going to avoid working with others.

"No, the teacher said we must work in groups of three," Tamaki argued.

"But I was sure…" she trailed off, eyes going distant, as if recalling a memory.

"We have to work in groups," Kyoya chimed in. "It even says so on the paper."

A sigh, and her face fell into one of boredom. "Alright, fine." She leaned back and let her head fall so that she was looking at the ceiling. "The step-devils will be oh-so-pleased if I bring you two back home with me." She then looked at them, a lopsided grin on her face. "What topic?"

"Step-devils?" Tamaki repeated.

"Yeah, both of my real parents are dead. Step-mother remarried after my dad died. Hence step-parents." Tamaki blanched, falling silent. Unusual, for her to be so open about her family situation.

"Why would they be pleased if you brought us home?" Kyoya asked, diverting away from the darker topic. As well, it was a curious thing. The family was well enough off, but finding someone to marry her off to was not such a far fetched thing.

"Oh, you know," she replied with a sarcastic tone, her smile twisting. "Find me a good man while I'm here, one that I can charm with my feminine wiles to get my _family_ everything they desire." Her smile dropped, and she turned her attention back to the sheet on her desk. "So, which topic?"

Tamaki glanced at Kyoya, asking silently if he knew how to proceed with the situation. So Kyoya pointed about halfway down the list. " _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ seems interesting," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Titania didn't lift her head, instead looking at him through her eyelashes. "Hardy-har-har," she deadpanned back at him. "Sure." She sat up in her chair, and looked Kyoya straight in the eyes, her face completely serious. "But if I hear one joke about my name, I will make you wear donkey ears."

Kyoya stared back for a few seconds, before nodding slightly. Tamaki clapped his hands once. "Great! You can come to our club after classes end, and we can discuss the specifics!" He moved back to his seat, no doubt still wary of Titania after the first day.

Titania looked at Kyoya with a questioning look. "Club? Please tell me it's not that Host Club I've heard about." He gave her a knowing look. She sighed. "Fine, but I refuse to wear this uniform any longer than necessary. I'm changing as soon as school is over."

Kyoya almost let a real smile slip. _Not good._ "Music room number three," he replied. "We'll see you then." He walked back to his seat, and started to write out possible plans for the project.

Titania pulled out a worn, old book from her bag, and began to read.

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 ** _As I said above, next chapter will be longer! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and enjoy the future ones as well!_**

 _ **Question: If I set up a Twitter account for info on updates, possible delays, and maybe even sneak peaks, would you, the reader, be interested? Let me know by PM, or in a review!**_

 _ **Again, THANK YOU! You guys make this all worth it! :D**_


	4. 4 - Deal with the Shadow King

_**Hallow! And thank you so much for reading**_ The Things That Define Us ** _!  
Like I mentioned last time, this chapter is longer! Yay! And it's also a bit early! Woo!  
And I also made a Twitter... sooo go check me out there! I'll be posting about updates, delays and whatever else I need/want to inform you guys about!  
My handle is_** JaneQuotation ** _.  
Alright, enough blabber, let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy!_**

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True to her word, instead of the yellow dress, Titania showed up to music room number three dressed in a form-fitting white t-shirt that read, "Carpe Diem," jeans, and riding boots with a small layer of mud caked on them, bits of straw scattered in. She had been one of the first to enter, and had been greeted with the usual "Welcome!" She gave them a blank stare before rolling her eyes and moving off to sit on the sill of a window, pulling out a sketchbook and pencil. She began to draw, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. Everyone in the Host Club had already been informed about her visiting and her typical cold demeanor, so they were not all that surprised.

"That's the girl who insulted Tono?" the twins asked, watching as she began to sketch. Kyoya opened his mouth to reply when more girls started to come in, so they all had to switch their attention to their hostly duties.

Titania was quiet, glancing up every once in a while, continuing to draw in her notebook. There were sideways glances in her direction, but no one approached her. A few girls asked the hosts why she was there, and the same response, provided by Kyoya, was given: "Working on a project for the Host Club."

* * *

Titania was glad she had brought along her sketchbook, because even the idea of interacting with anyone in the room was annoying and anger-inducing, and she could not afford to let her emotions run wild. Too much was at stake.

She had started out drawing her horse, Oberon, but when it became repetitive, she switched over to drawing what she had in front of her: the Host Club members. She had already finished drawings of the Hitachiin twins together (laughing with one arm each over the shoulders of the other), the twins separate (Kaoru pouring a cup of tea, Hikaru upside-down on an armchair beaming), Fujioka (looking up from reading a book), Morinozuka (holding a judo position), and Haninozuka (face tilted up and smiling with his stuffed bunny). She was currently working on Ootori, his chin in the palm of his hand, looking (somewhat forlornly) out of an unseen window. She wasn't sure if she was going to have enough time to start on Suoh, but then again, she wasn't sure if she wanted to start in the first place. His actions from the first day still irked her.

For reference, she would glance up every few minutes, to make sure she was correctly drawing their body proportions. She noted that Fujioka had a rather feminine face and figure, but she had met some guys more "feminine" than herself, so it was of no more importance than the others' figures.

Titania was just starting to fill in details for Ootori's face when she glanced up and noticed a girl a meter or so away, watching her. Why, she had no idea. She assumed it had to do with whatever reason the girls were told to account for her presence. She examined the girl, observing to see how she would move next, if those movements would be harmful to her, a habit she had learned early on in her time in Canada. The girl had a rather average build, not short, but not tall either, long light brown hair down to her waist, and a large pink bow sat atop her head. Her brown eyes were inquisitive, and she had an attention-demanding posture.

When the girl had not said anything for a minute, and it seemed like she never would, Titania asked, "Can I help you?" The girl squinted her eyes before zeroing in on the sketchpad. Titania had lowered it to talk, forgetting that these girls had an extreme adoration of the hosts.

"Did you draw that?" the girl asked, voice high and pitchy, eyes wide.

Titania tensed, ready to fight or flee if need be. Questions had never lead anywhere good, in her experience, and the last time she met someone with such a high and pitchy voice, things had ended… _rough_. But then she chastised herself, and forced herself to relax. _No one will attack me here_ , she thought. _These people don't know how to fight. This isn't Canada._ She took a breath, then answered, "Yeah, I drew it. Wanna see the others?" No harm in playing nice, at least for now. Having allies, especially ones found in Ouran, could prove useful in the future.

"Really? Thank you, Senpai!" _Senpai?_ A first-year then. Titania flipped to the front and held out the sketch pad, and the girl took it readily. Titania watched as she flipped through first the horse drawings, then to the members of the host club. She squealed in delight at each page, drawing attention from the other girls in the room. Some, who were waiting for their turn with the hosts, grew curious enough to start wandering over, no doubt wondering why this girl was so essatic. Soon, there was a crowd around the girl and Titania's sketchbook, all of them squealing. Titania winced at the noise, and sat back down on the window sill.

Ootori, who had just finished up with his client, started over towards the group. By the time he arrived, they had flipped through several times, and were back on Ootori's picture. As he came closer, one of the girls broke away and approached Titania. "Could you draw one of me and Haruhi together?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

"Uh, I-I guess," Titania replied as Ootori stepped into the conversation bubble, notebook opened in hand.

"For a fee, of course," he inserted with a sickly sweet smile.

"Anything!" the girl replied enthusiastically.

"We can talk about prices later, once Titania-san has finished." He began to write something down in his notebook. The girl thanked him, giggled and fluttered back to the group and began to tell them the "good news". She had not failed to notice him using her first name, albeit with honorifics.

Titania eyed Ootori, who was still writing things down in his notebook, glasses catching the light. She had said yes to the girl's request because she had been flustered and regrettably not thinking. She couldn't imagine the onslaught of requests that would have eventually occurred, and wished she had said no. But by paying for it, the request became a commission, and others could be turned down when they eventually came. It could become a business. But she had no plans to come to the club again, and letting the girls commission her for work almost guaranteed that she'd have to return. And him swooping in to save her meant she owned him.

"What's your game plan?" she finally spoke, eyes narrowing and arms crossing. "I can see what you have to gain, but the cons of working with me seem to outweigh the benefit."

"Cons?" he asked in return. "Care to enlighten me on what exactly would be so terrible about working with you?" He turned his gaze to hers, and she held it steadfast. Titania had faced down far bigger and far scarier, and she definitely was not going to back down from this beanpole of a boy.

She waited a few seconds, and when he didn't add anything she sighed, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. It seemed he didn't know. "Fine, but I get fifty of the profits."

A smile touched Ootori's lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Twenty-five."

She raised an eyebrow in return. "Lowballing to try and placate me with a percentage you'd be happier with? Not happening. It'll be fifty, or I walk."

This time he smirked. "Of course, Kuroki-san. We can talk more after the girls leave." Ootori turned and walked away. Titania watched his back as he left, then snorted. _Family name this time._

 _Maybe this won't be so bad_ , she thought to herself, turning towards the gaggle of girls. _Now… how do I get my sketchpad back?_

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 _ **Who can guess who that girl was that approached Titania?  
Thank you so much for reading my story, it makes me so happy!  
Constructive **_**_criticism and compliments are always appreciated!  
_** ** _Again, don't forget to check out my Twitter page,_** JaneQuotation ** _! :D_**  
 ** _I love you all who take the time to read!_**


	5. 5 - Inside Out

_**Hallow AND HOLY SMOKING COWS IT'S BEEN FOREVER AND I AM SO SO SORRY!  
**_ _ **I promise I have not given this up! College got hectic, and it still is, so the next update will be while, and for that I am terribly sorry.  
BUT, I will come back! I promise!  
And so, we continue~**_

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Titania Kuroki finished the drawing that the girl had commissioned from her right as the Host club finished clearing the music room of their club activities. Titania tore out the page with the commission, and shoved her sketchpad into her over-the-shoulder bag. She swung the bag onto her shoulder, and walked over to Ootori.

"Here," she said, holding out the drawing. "Do you two want to come to my place today to work on the assignment?"

Ootori took the drawing and tucked it into his notebook."I assume you would like to get this over with as soon as possible?"

She rolled her eyes. "What are you, Sherlock?" she replied mockingly. "Sooner this is over with, sooner I don't have to hang out in creep central."

Without warning, arms wrapped around Titania's shoulders, jarring her. Her eyes went wide and her nostrils flared, body tensing. "So, Titania-san," she heard two voices say at the same time in her ears. "You're in class 2-A with Kyoya-senpai and Tono? What's it like?" The Hitachiin twins had their arms around Titania, trapping her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing her body. Then she crossed her arms and grabbed the hands of the twins, digging her nails in. She lifted their arms above her head and stepped back, then let their hands go, no doubt with marks from her nails. The other members had started to wander over, and were now watching Titania with wide eyes. Except Ootori, the bastard, had a small smile, almost a smirk, seemingly amused by the situation.

"First, do not touch me again," she said, eyeing the twins who were rubbing their hands sheepishly. They had probably never met a girl who had physically assaulted them. She rationalized that it was their fault as they attacked her first. "Secondly, I have no idea. I have no interest in the _veq_ in class." The Host Club members blinked at the unfamiliar word. Titania smiled inwardly. _Good_ , she thought. _Let them stew over a word they can't spell._ She turned towards Ootori again. "So, you coming over, or what?"

"Why not at one of our houses?" he replied, face neutral, no hint of the smile that he previously wore.

"Trust me, it's more beneficial for both of us if you come over to my place. Most people working in the house are spies for the step-devils. I can guarantee your parents will get a call within a week."

Ootori looked over at Suoh, an almost smug look on his face. "What do you think, Tamaki?"

Suoh brightened, no doubt some dumb idea in his head about being friends. Titania didn't hold it against him, it was just who he was."That sounds like a great idea!" he replied.

"Titania-chan!" Haninozuka-senpai chimed, now standing in front of her. "Want some cake before you go?" He shoved the plate with a piece of the treat in her face, a smile big enough to split his face.

Titania took a second to let her eyes focus on the object in front of her eyes before taking an involuntary step back. She paled, shaking and eyes wide. She put a hand to her mouth before saying, "I'm sorry, but I need to go. I'll meet you outside, Ootori." Her voice shook, terse in every word. She then turned and fled from the room, gone from sight before the door closed.

* * *

The Host Club stared after her, not understanding what exactly changed. Kyoya glanced back at the cake, making a mental note of it. He grabbed his bag from the chair it had been resting on. "Come on Tamaki, we should go wait outside for her." He started to walk out.

Tamaki blinked, then grabbed his bag, and ran after Kyoya. "Wait up!"

* * *

Titania sunk back from the toilet, stomach empty of its contents. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked around the bathroom. She didn't get a good look before as she was occupied with getting to the toilet on time.

It, like the rest of the school, sparkled, a certain pristine to it. There was just one toilet, of course, and the room felt like being in a palace. The room was quite girlish, pick being the main color, and anything that wasn't had a pink tint to it. Titanita scowled. It was like they let an eight-year-old have reign over the room's decoration, and it was the kind of eight-year-old that wore tutus to school.

She finally picked herself up off of the floor, and flushed the toilet. She smiled a little to herself; the smell would likely not leave for a few days. She then walked over to the sink and washed her hands.

After she had finished in the bathroom and gathered her things up, she pulled open the door, only to find Kyoya Ootori with his back against the wall directly to the left of the door. He was reading a book, feigning ignorance about her presence in the doorway.

Titania stopped, watching him turn the pages of his book, eyes never leaving the words in front of him. There was no doubt in her mind that he had heard her retching, and he already had theories about why. None of them would be true of course. Only the others from back home would ever know.

So she shrugged her shoulders, pulling the straps of her bag to sit more securely. She strode past him, paying him no mind, like he was to her. She had only taken a few steps when he fell into line behind her.

Titania heard his steps, but didn't glance behind like she wanted to, instead facing forward, continuing to the stables to pick up Oberon.

The campus was huge, and as such, it took Titania and Ootori several minutes to make their way to the stables, Ootori trailing behind the entire time. Titania cause glimpses of him as she turned corners, his face neutral, posture relaxed. Why he was following instead of just waiting outside with the blonde mop (a perfect nickname for Suoh, she thought with bitter pride), she didn't know. Ootori was the kind of person who was constantly trying to gain an edge over everyone else, and it was probably this. Maybe he thought she would grow irritated enough with the silence to explain why she was vomiting, but the joke was entirely on him: withholding information others desired was a strength and pleasure of hers.

Finally they arrived, the Equestrian club packing up from their activities. "Hey, Felip!" Titania called.

A boy with dark brown hair, just a bit taller than Titania herself, looked up from the saddle he was carrying. "I told you to stop calling me that," he replied with an exasperated sigh. His eyes wandered over her shoulder, to Ootori behind her.

"Ignore him," she said. "Oberon?"

"Stall eight. He tried to kick the wall down again."

Titania snorted. "Wouldn't be my horse if he didn't try."

"Please find a way to stop him. We don't want another wall to repair."

"I helped you fix it!"

A sigh, and Felip waved goodbye, heading towards the barn, shifting the saddle in his arms.

Titania finally spared a glance at Ootori, who still had that neutral expression down pat. He met her eyes, and still not even a twitch of his lips. If she had any less experience with guarding her own thoughts, she would have sighed.

She turned and followed the past to the barn, eyes flicking to the sign posts, indicating which stall was which. About halfway into the barn, she stopped at stall eight.

"Oberon!" she called as she unlatched the half door. Her black beauty snorted, tossing his head and trotting the few steps to her waiting hands. "Hello my king. How was your day?" she talked to him like he understood, because she knew that in some way he did, even if it wasn't the same way humans understood each other. Oberon lowered his head until it was level with her jean pockets, nuzzling at the fabric. "No treats today. Puck stole them again." Another snort, head nodding once, as if insulted such a lowly fairy would even try. "I know, I know. But he won't ever steal me away." He stepped forward, lowering his head to eye level. Titania reached up with both hands, caressing his muzzle.

"You speak to him in English?" Ootori finally spoke. When Titania turned around, his lips were turned up ever so slightly, that almost Mona Lisa smile in place. Oberon dropped his head to rest on her shoulder, and she reached up absentmindedly to stroke his nose.

"I acquired him in Canada," she offered as explanation. "Let's go find Suoh. Wanna ride?"

Ootori's face slid back into impassiveness, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "No thank you, I'll walk." And with that, he turned and strode away, head held high.

Titania stared after him for only a second, before sighing and moving to grab Oberon's riding gear. In a few minutes, she pulled on the last strap to ensure it was on, then hauled herself into the saddle. She liked riding on Oberon: it made her feel like she was above every problem the humans below had, and she was as free the horse.

With a click of her tongue and tap of her heels, Oberon started out of the barn.

.

.

.

 _ **Translation note:**_ veq - garbage _ **{Klingon}  
And the plot thickens! What exactly caused Titania to flee? Heh heh heh, you'll find out eventually.  
**_ _ **Also, I'm on Twitter, if you haven't checked it out yet!** ~_ JaneQuotation _ **  
I will try to be active on it, letting you know what's going on with updates and such. And it's a great way for you to interact with me! (If you're into that kind of thing :p)  
As always, constructive criticism and love is appreciated!  
Thank you so much for reading!**_


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